Electric furnace.



F. T. SNYDER.

ELECTRIC FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED JAN-19,1914.

1,254,077. Patented Jan. 22, 191-8.-

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

F. T. SNYDER.

ELECTRIC FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED JAN- 19. 1914.

1,254,077; Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Zlfrae 65 e5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK T. SNYDER, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS;

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK T. SNYDER, citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to an electric furnace, and more particularly to a tilting furnace. Its object is to provide a furnace of this type in which the ladle or the like into which the. metal is poured from the furnace canremain in a fixed position during such pouring irrespective of the particular position to which the furnace is tilted. Another object is to provide a furnace, the tilting of which is easily and readily controlled and in which the operator is enabled to look directly into the furnace through the pouring spout and thereby to know just to what extent the furnace should be tilted during the pouring. A further object is to provide a furnace having a maximum capacity with minimum heat radiation.

The several features of my invention designed to carry out the before-mentioned ob-' jects of the invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a central, vertical section of a furnace embodying myinvention; and

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the support upon which the furnace rests.

Similar reference charac. :rsrefer to similar parts throughout the several views.

- Extending from the bottom of the walls 1 which inclose the furnace chamber are a pair of similar arc-shaped feet 2, said feet extending in a forward direction. Said feet extend from opposite sides of the furnace, one of said feet being shown in Fig. 1. The center of curvature of the arc of said feet is a point, as indicated at 3, preferably slightly forward of and below the end of the pouring spout 4. Each of said feet 2 rests upon a pair of rollers 5, 6. The rollers 5, 5 are secured upon an axle 7 and the rollers 6, 6 are secured upon an axle 8, each of said axles having bearings in a suitable framework 9. Adjacent to the rollers 5, 5 and preferably forming a part thereof are cog-wheels 10, 10. The forward end of thefeet 2 are provided Y with teeth 11 which mesh with the teeth of the cog-wheels 10, 10. The axle 7 is adapted to be driven from the motor 12 through a Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

Application med January 19, 1914. Serial No. 812,875.

- system of gears 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. It is obvious, therefore, that by means of the motor and the interconnecting gears, movement may be imparted to the feet 2 in a direction, corresponding to the direction of the are of said feet and that the furnace may thereby be tilted to any required position,

as, for example, from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to the position shown in dotted lines in said figure.

Itwil] be noted that the bottom of the pouring spout 4: of the furnace is inclined toward the point 3 which constitutes the axis of rotation of the furnace. Since the end of the spout thus rotates about said point 3 as a center, it is obvious that the molten metal issuing from said spout will be at all times directed toward said central point and that therefore the ladle into which the metal is poured can be held in one fixed position irrespective of the particular position 'to which the furnace is tilted. The danger of accidents from the spilling of metal during the pouring is thereby eliminated.

The motor-controller 19, by means of which the motor 12 is controlled, is prefer readily see to what extent the furnace should be tilted during the pouring operation. It will, of course, be understood that the controller 19 may be of the usual construction and such controller is illustrated in Fig. 1 in a conventional manner. x

The bottom 21 of the furnace chamber is preferably a concave hemisphere and in normal operation of the furnace the tip of the electrode 22 is the center of the curvature of the bottom of the furnace chamber. By reason thereof, the distance from the tip of the electrode to the surface of the metal would remain a uniform distance irrespective of thetilting of the furnace, except for the lowering of the surface by reason of the metal being poured out of the furnace.- It follows, therefore, that the mere tilting of the furnace does not increasethe length of the arc and hence there is no sudden change in the length of the are due to the tilting of the furnace, but merely a gradual increase of the length of the are as the metal is poured through the spout.

The furnace may be of any approved construction. In the furnace shown in the drawings, there is, in addition to the upper electrode 22 hereinbefore described, a lower electrode 23 shown as in electrical communication with the metallic shell 24: which, in turn, is electrically connected to one of the flexible leads 25. The other flexible lead 26 is connected to a vertical bar 27 from which extends ahorizontal arm 28 which supports the upper electrode 22. The electrode 22 may be adjusted by the hand-wheel 29. The means for supporting and adjusting the upper electrode 22, however, forms no part of my present invention and is more fully shown and described in a co-pendmg application, Serial No. 812,876, filed January hat I claim is 1. A. tilting furnace having an arc-shaped foot extending downwardly and forwardly from said furnace whereby unobstructed access to the spout of said furnace is provided, and means for imparting movement to sa d foot in the direction of the arc thereof to hit said furnace.

4 of said furnace whereby unobstructed access f to the spout of said furnace is provided,

supporting rollers for said foot, said foot and one of said rollers having coiiperating surfaces through which said foot gears with said roller, and means for imparting a rotary motion to said last mentioned roller.

4. In a tilting furnace, the combination with a furnace having a pouring spout, of means to the rear of said spout for turning said furnace upon an axis'forward of and [below the outlet of said spout.

5. In a tilting furnace, the combination with a furnace having a pouring spout, of

an arc-shaped foot extending from the bottom of said furnace whereby a substantial clearance below and in front of said spout is provided, the center of said are being at a point adjacent the end of said spout, and means for imparting movement to said foot in the direction of the arcthereof to tilt said furnace. Y n

6. A tilting furnace having an arc-shaped foot extending downwardly and forwardly from said furnace, rollers supporting said foot, said foot and one of said rollers having intermeshing cog-teeth, and means for driving said intermeshing roller to tilt said furnace.

7. A tilting furnace having an arc-shaped foot extending downwardly and forwardly from said furnace, rollers supporting said foot, said foot and one of said rollers having intermeshing cog-teeth, a motor, and gear connections between said motor and said intermeshing roller.

8. The combination of a tilting furnace having a pouring spout, means located at a distance from said spout for mounting said furnace to oscillate about a fixed axis near the outlet of said spout, a motor for oscillating said furnace, and a motor controller located in front of said spout.

9. The combination of a tilting-furnace having a pouring spout, means located at a distance from said spout for mounting said furnace to oscillate about a fixed axis near the outlet of said spout, a motor for oscillating said furnace, a motor controller located in front of said spout, and a shield between said motor controller and said spout.

10. The combination with an electric furnace having a spout, of a tilting support therefor, consisting solely of an are shaped member secured thereto at one end only, and

means for supporting said member and mov- Y ing it in the direction of the arc.

1] The combination with a pouring floor, of an arc shaped arm beneath said floor, having one end normally accessible through an opening in'said floor, a furnace supported on said arm abeve said floor, and means for moving said arm along thepath of the arc to elevate and tilt said furnace.

12. The combination with a pouring floor,

of an are shaped arm mounted and concealed beneath said floor except for one end which projects through an opening therein,

a furnace centrally mounted on said project.- ing end and having a pouring spout located adjacent to the center of the circle of which said are is a part, and means for moving said arm along the path of the arc to elevate and tilt said furnace without appreciably movingsaidspout, said arm permitting unobstructed access to said spout.

13. The combination with an electric furnace having a spout, of an arc-shaped tilting support therefor, the mouth of said spout being located slightly above and to the rear of the center .of'the circle of which said are is a part whereby the. tilting of said furnace causes said spout to move slightly upwardly and forwardly therebyinsuring the delivery of the molten contents of said furnace substantially in'the center of the ladle by compensating for the decreasing head as said through said roof and a tpouring spout, of means located beneath sai furnace for lifting it to tilt it on a fixed axis near said spout, and means for operating said tilting means.

15. An electric furnace comprising a melting chamber having a pouring spout, a roof for said chamber, an electrode supported above said roof and'adapted to project therethrough into said melting chamber, electri- 'cal connections for said electrode, means for tilting said furnace about an axis located near said spout, and means whereby the electrical connections with said electrode are maintained durin such tilting.

ing chamber having a roof, a side charging port, a front pouring spout,an electrode crane, an electrode ad ustably supported b said crane and projecting through said roo a flexible electrical connections from saidelecl-rode to a source of current, and means for tilting said furnace about an axis near said spout.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe :5 my name this 13th day of January, A. D., 1914;

FREDERICK T. SNYDER.

Witnesses:

MCCLELLAN YOUNG, GEORGE P. BARTON. 

